THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 243 



be dented, in the dongh stage or when about one-fourth the 

 husks and lower leaves were turning brown in color. This 

 would indicate that the best results are obtained when the corn 

 is mature enough to cut for shocking purposes. The nearer the 

 corn is to maturity the more food nutrients it contains. Thus 

 the more valuable from a silage standpoint, providing there is 

 enough moisture to insure proper fermentation. Immature 

 corn makes a dark colored silage which may cause animals to 

 scour badly. 



In the discussion of the lengths in which the corn should 

 be cut when put into the silo, much difference of opinion was 

 manifested. Some advocate i% inches, others i inch, others 

 J4 inch, many y 2 inch, while some advocated less than y 2 inch. 

 The longer the cut used the more economical from the stand- 

 point of power and the more rapid the filling of the silo. The 

 shorter cut such as the y 2 inch length insures less waste in feed- 

 ing the silage and makes it possible to put a greater quantity of 

 corn in the silo. Taking everything into consideration, either 

 the y 2 inch or the J4 inch cut should be used. This will make a 

 very palatable form of silage for the animal, and also make it 

 easier to pack the silage so as to eliminate the air, thus prevent- 

 ing waste. 



RAPID OR SLOW FILLING. 



This is a point on which there is much difference of opin- 

 ion. Where slow filling is practiced it is always possible to 

 pack the silage thoroughly by tramping and allowing it to settle. 

 In this way the full capacity of the silo may be utilized. The 

 objections to this system are that where a large quantity of silage 

 is to be put up on a farm or on several farms with the one filling 

 outfit, it takes so much time that some of the corn must be put 

 in too green at the beginning and some more of it too dry at the 

 finish. It is also more expensive than where rapid filling is 

 practiced. 



Where rapid filling is practiced, say from 80 to 100 tons per 

 day, the cost of filling is reduced to the minimum. A large quan- 



